No More Nightmares
by PenetratingBlackEyes
Summary: Post timeskip! After Shukaku's removal Gaara begins to sleep, but is soon plagued by nightmares. Who will help the Kazekage? Why none other than Uzumaki Naruto. GaaNaru not heavy duty. This is my first fic and I need feedback so feel free to R&R.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, the day has finally come. My first fanfic has been uploaded!! I'm so happy I could cry. Well...not really. And even though you have no clue who she is, (Maybeh. Who am I to judge?) I'd like to thank the lovely lady Dead for being a beta.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...just Gaara. jk, jk! I am but a humble fan.

Now let us begin!

Chapter 1

The moon shone over the village of Sunagakure, illuminating streets,  
buildings, and a lone figure sitting on the roof of one of the tallest  
structures in the city. The man perched up there was the Kazekage of the  
village, Sabaku no Gaara.

This man, Lord Kazekage, had flaming red hair that stuck up everywhere, a  
vacant, almost hard expression that looked as if it were plastered on his  
face, aquamarine eyes so pale they looked almost green, and –this was the  
strange thing about his face- there were two black circles surrounding each  
eye. He was sitting almost regally on top of the building, gazing into the  
distance with a great sadness and longing in his eyes. For there was  
something Gaara longed for at the moment. He longed to sleep.

Gaara could sleep now, because after the power-hungry organization Akatsuki  
had removed his demon, Shukaku, he could slumber without fear for his soul.  
After recovering from his near-death, Gaara realized this, rejoiced, and  
greeted this blessing with open arms. However, he soon learned that not  
everything about sleep is good.

About a month after Shukaku's removal he began to be plagued by nightmares,  
and not ordinary ones. When they first began, Gaara didn't fully realize  
what was happening, having never experienced it before. He would wake  
shivering in a cold sweat, and had no idea why because he couldn't remember  
any of the dreams. After several nights of this happening Gaara consulted  
his sister, Temari, and she explained to him all about dreams.

Gaara then began to take measures against the nightmares, relaxing and  
clearing his mind before going to bed, but to no avail. The dreams got  
worse, for he could remember them now; vivid flashbacks from his childhood:

_Being ambushed, and then killing his uncle…_

_Using the sand to permanently seal the mark "love" into his head…._

_His father's numerous assassination attempts…._

_The painful transformations into Shukaku…_

_Being called a monster; shunned and feared…._

It went on until a few nights ago. Gaara had woken sobbing for the first  
time since he was six years old. It was then that he had decided that it had  
to stop. So, with an almost cruel irony, he was reverting back into his old  
habits: climbing up to the roof, where he would sit, pondering and thinking,  
until the sun began to slowly rise in the sky, and the first villagers  
appeared in the streets to set up food carts before the morning rush, and  
sounds of bustling could be heard from the houses.

So, with a sigh, he stood up, walked straight down the wall using chakra to  
keep him level, and slipped through a window into his office. He had barely  
sat down in his chair when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," said Gaara, surprised to be visited this early in the morning.

Gaara's former sensei, Baki, entered clutching a scroll.

"Yes?" asked Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama, we just received a message from Konoha," Baki stated.

Gaara waited.

"Uzumaki Naruto is coming to visit."

A/N: Well? Was it good? Okay? Crappy? So crappy you want to have me hunted down and killed? (I hope not O.O) Please review and tell me what you think!

Laters.

-PenetratingBlackEyes


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: First off, I'd like to thank the 150-or-so people who read Chapter 1, and glomps go out to everyone who reviewed...all four of you. But they were all good reviews so I'm not complaining.

Disclaimer: In my own little world I own Naruto. But not in this one. Of course, in my own little world I'm also Gaara's girlfriend. And Kakashi's daughter.

...I think I've said too much.

Chapter 2

"Uzumaki Naruto is coming to visit."

Gaara's breath caught in his throat. Naruto, the gorgeous blonde bombshell, coming to visit here? No, he couldn't think about that right now. Giving himself a mental shake, he turned back to Baki.

"When?"

"He has apparently just left Konoha, so he should be here in about three days with a squad of black ops agents."

"Why is he coming?"

Baki hesitated. "The Hokage thinks it would be in his best interest to take some time away from the village right now, what with the growing Akatsuki threat."

"I see," Gaara murmured, staring at his hands, "the Akatsuki won't know he's here."

"Precisely," said Baki. Then he added with a small smile gracing his lips, "And it seems Naruto has been very eager to check up on you."

Heart beating faster, Gaara looked up at his fomer sensei. "Very well. You may go."

Giving a small bow, Baki left the room.

Gaara leaned back in his chair. So, Naruto was coming. The blonde ninja held a certain place in Gaara's heart after he helped him out of the darkness, and showed him that he could love, and in turn receive love. Gaara owed everything to Naruto. His title as Kazekage, his village's acceptance, his relationship with his siblings. Everything. Maybe that was why Naruto was Gaara's first true love. Of course Gaara had never told Naruto his feelings. Maybe that was why Gaara was nervous as well as excited about the Leaf ninja's arrival.

--X--

Three days later after another sleepless night, Gaara found himself trying to concentrate on the paperwork in front of him, but really anxiously wondering when Naruto was going to arrive. His question would be answered in a moment however.

With a massive crash, Gaara's office door was flung open by what appeared to be a speeding blond bullet yelling, "HEYYYYYYYY GAARA!!"

The next seconds reigned in total confusion as Gaara was dragged around in a one-arm hug while Naruto jumped up and down, yelling something or another; until one of Naruto's flailing arms knocked over Gaara's tea, which proceeded to spill right over the paperwork he'd been trying to focus on.

Then, after things had gotten under control (sort of), a Sand ninja walked in and said quite unnecessarily, "Uzumaki Naruto has arrived, sir."

Gaara straightened up, nodded to the Sand ninja who promptly left, then turned to the still grinning Naruto.

"Well?" said Naruto still loudly, still bouncing on the soles of his feet. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Gaara smiled a rare smile at Naruto, and the Leaf nin knew that was a yes.

A/N: Traurig für die Kürze!

That's German for "Sorry for the shortness!" Or atleast it should be...I'm slowly teaching myself so it may be wrong. I'm sorry if it is!! Although, if it says something like, "my pickled toe flirted with the curry", then atleast all you German people will get a good laugh.

I'd also like to apologize if there are any grammatical errors, which I'm sure there are. Punctuaton: Not my forte.

Please review!

-PenetratingBlackEyes


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does, and you know the rest.

A/N: AHHHH!!! I NEED HELP!! You see, I decided to rewrite the fourth and final chapter, but now I'm stuck in a Writers Block!! I decided to rewrite it because after looking over it again, I decided that it just wasn't up to snuff. I didn't hit enough of the pionts I wanted to, and some of it was just plain bad writing. So, I'm not gonna use it. Sue me. But here's where you come in!! I need you to after you read this chapter, review, and tell me what you think will happen next! Just use your imagination, simple. I need inspiration! Because, it's like, I know what's gonna happen at the very end, and I know what I want to cover in the chapter, but I can't seem to peice it together. I just can't find the right angle! Please review and help!! Thank you!!

Chapter 3

How did I get into this? Gaara thought to himself. He and Naruto were-after Naruto's begging and needling- standing outside one of Sunagakure's ramen shops, and Naruto was practically quivering with excitement.

"Can you believe I haven't had ramen for three days?" he yelled, already running into the shop. Gaara sighed and reluctantly followed.

After Naruto sat down in one of the stools at the front, the store owner looked up and saw Gaara.

"Lord Kazekage!" exclaimed the owner looking shocked.

Saying nothing, Gaara sat down next to Naruto, who was already ordering. With Naruto's full attention on the menu, Gaara stole a glance at him. Blushing, he quickly looked away because even though he knew that they were only here to catch up, and of course settle Naruto's stomach, he couldn't help thinking of it as, well…a date.

"Gaara?"

"Huh?" Snapping out of his reverie, Gaara looked to see Naruto staring at him.

"I was just asking how many bowls you wanted."

"Oh…just one."

"Alright!"

A few minutes later their bowls arrived. Naruto promptly broke apart his chopsticks, said "Itadakimasu!" and dived in. With the slurping noises coming from next to him Gaara found it hard to concentrate on his own meal, and by the time he finished his one bowl, Naruto had already devoured six.

Finally Naruto seemed satisfied. He threw down his chopsticks, rubbed his stomach, and turned to Gaara, saying, "Want any more?"

Gaara shook his head, and Naruto turned and yelled to the owner, "Oi! Bill!"

The shopkeeper hurried over, wringing his hands on his apron, and said with a greasy smile, "Yours is on the house, Kazekage-sama."

"And my friend's too?"

The man's smile slipped a little as he looked over Naruto's numerous empty bowls, but then he added, "Of course!"

Saying nothing, Gaara slid off his stool and headed for the exit. Naruto followed. Once they were outside, Gaara automatically started heading in the direction of Kage Tower, (A/N: This is just my name for the building where he works.) but Naruto reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Surprised, Gaara looked at Naruto in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Well," said Naruto, his arms settling in the familiar position behind his head, "I was wondering if we could walk around a little."

"Walk around?"

"Yeah, I mean I've never been here before; well, I have been here before, but that was when you; I mean…" Naruto broke off scratching his neck, and sheepishly looking around at anything but Gaara.

Silence reigned, as Gaara stared intently at Naruto, while Naruto stared at the ground. So, Naruto's uncomfortable about that incident, thought Gaara with some surprise. The blonde was usually too stupid to be considerate. At last Gaara spoke.

"You don't have to worry about it, Naruto. I'm fine."

Naruto looked up at Naruto, uneasiness written across his face. "You sure?" he asked quietly.

Gaara nodded.

Naruto cracked a grin. "Alright then!" he said loudly, "Where should we go first?"

Watching Naruto looking around eagerly at all the shops, Gaara shrugged and pointed off in some vague direction. And off they went, Naruto practically dragging Gaara down street after street; while Naruto insisted upon looking in every shop because he was "curious." Finally however, when Naruto frog purse was limp and empty, and they had succeeded in throwing off some of Gaara's now numerous fangirls, they were back at Kage Tower. Gaara, scowling, was showing Naruto to his room. He had requested that it be prepared for Naruto so that he wouldn't have to stay in an inn.

Once they arrived at the room, Naruto gave a gasp of excitement, and immediately began to run around, examining everything, and checking out the view. Gaara dumped all of Naruto purchases (which he'd somehow been wrangled into carrying) into a chair, then made to leave.

Before he could reach the door though, Naruto bounded forward and opened it for him.

"Hey man, thanks for everything today," Naruto said flashing a grin.

"No problem."

"Alright! I should probably get to bed," Naruto said with a yawn." I didn't realize how late it was."

Gaara gave a small nod. "Good night, Naruto."

"G'night, Gaara."

---X---

Gaara was up on the roof. He had waited until he was sure Naruto was asleep then snuck out. Gaara was glad that Naruto hadn't asked him how he was sleeping now. Perhaps he had forgotten. Yes, that would be like Naruto.

But, then again…maybe he wasn't glad. Gaara found strangely that he really wanted to tell Naruto. To tell him everything, to confide in him. As a friend…or maybe more.

Gaara quickly shook his head; he was letting his thoughts wander in _that _direction again. The voice in his head began sternly telling him that he needed to get over this crush; Naruto didn't like him like that, Naruto wanted to be with someone else.

Gaara gave a groan of frustration. But he wanted Naruto to like him! He wanted to confess to Naruto his true feelings! And what if he did, and Naruto accepted it, and wanted to be with too; and what if Naruto said he loved Gaara, like Gaara loved him, and what if he-

"Gaara? What are you doing up here?"

A/N: Oh my. Can you stand the drama? Aha, I left you at a cliffie! Although we all know who that is up on the roof...SANTA CLAUS!

_"Gaara? Sabaku no Gaara? What are you doing up here? You should be in bed, with all the other children, with visions of sugar plums breakdancing in your head!"_

_"Who are you?" Gaara's eyes narrow in suspicion as the sands begin to rise around him._

_"What are you doing?! NO PRESENTS! NAUGHTY NAUGHTY NAUGHTY!"_

_"He does exist O.o" Gaara gasps before he passes out._

_"They do exist..." Santa follows suit._

When did we segway into the M&M commercial...?

Remember to review! I need them now more than ever!

-PenetratingBlackEyes


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: H-hey people! -dodges vegetables- Yes, I know I haven't updated in forever. Writers Block is an evil monster! Evil! Plus, I kind of had to put the story on the backburner when some personal issues came up. Yeah...we won't go into that. I have to say, this whole chapter was far harder to write than I orignally though, but I'm still rather pleased with how it turned out. But, alas, it does not matter what I think. It matters what you, the reader, thinks. So please give me lots of feedback. Now, onto the story.

-

"Gaara? What are you doing up here?"

Gaara's stomach dropped and didn't stop until it burned up in the Earth's core. That voice…it was _his _voice. Gaara slowly turned around.

Naruto was standing behind him, staring with a puzzled expression.

Gaara's brain jammed; what should he say? "I…couldn't sleep. What are you doing up?"

"Me? Oh, I just- well you see- I just couldn't sleep too." He said this all in a way that told Gaara he was lying.

"I see."

"Yeah," Naruto sat down by Gaara.

Then there was silence. Gaara's brain was working furiously trying to figure out why Naruto had lied. But then again, why should he care? Did it really matter when Naruto was sitting right there, so close to him? '

Gaara gulped. Naruto was very close.

"Wow," Naruto murmured, staring at the sky.

"What?"

"Well, it's just…the stars are so much clearer out here," Naruto smiled. "They're brighter too. I've always loved watching the stars."

Watching the stars? Was he serious?

"Are they?" Gaara asked, now staring up at the twinkling specs of light. "I've never really noticed."

"Yeah. I sometimes watch them up on Hokage Mountain."

"Hm."

"Y-you know, Gaara…" Naruto said quickly, then abruptly stopped. He looked anxious.

"Yes, Naruto?" Gaara eyed the blonde.

"Well…have you ever…ever wanted to be with someone?" he asked brokenly, staring at his hands, then at Gaara.

"What do you mean?" Gaara questioned, his heart beating faster.

"Well, it's just…I wondered…if you actually did want to be with someone, would you tell them? Would you be brave enough?"

"Why?"

"I realized something."

"What did you realize?"

"I-I don't want to be with Sakura-chan anymore."

"Why's that?" Gaara asked unemotionally, while inside he was writhing with excitement and anxiety.

"I've just been thinking lately."

"That doesn't sound like you," Gaara mused.

Naruto gave a small laugh, but then became serious again. "Yeah, but like I said, I've been thinking about me, and who I am, and I don't think she's the one for me."

Gaara said nothing, his pale eyes boring into Naruto.

"I…like you Gaara. A lot." He looked almost scared to admit it.

"I like you too, Naruto." Gaara answered.

It was strange. Originally, whenever Gaara thought about what he would do if Naruto ever confessed feelings for him, he didn't know what he'd do. He though he would smile, would explode deep inside, his heart would burst. But right now, none of those things happened. Yes, he felt happy, extremely happy. But he also felt calm…serene. As if he were floating…

"Hey, Gaara," Naruto said suddenly. "Temari told me you'd been having nightmares."

….and then came crashing down. "When did you speak to Temari?"

"Right after you left my room. She just stopped by to see how I was doing. She's really worried about you."

Gaara didn't respond.

"You've never had nightmares before, have you Gaara?"

Gaara still said nothing.

"Nightmares are terrible," Naruto's voice was suddenly full of sorrow. "I used to have them all the time when I was little. And you know what the worst thing about them is? You're always alone. See, there's two different types of nightmares. In one, something awful that you don't want to happens to you, like your family dieing. And in the other, it's usually more scary than painful. Those are the ones where something seems to be after you. Both are awful. But the worst part is when you wake up. Lots of people think that that's the best part, but it's not. Because when you don't have anyone to comfort you after a nightmare you feel ten times worse."

Naruto's voice faded away, and Gaara felt a strange, choking feeling, as if something were clutching at his heart.

"Gaara?" Naruto turned to face him. "I have nightmares too, you know. Everyone does. But after I have one it makes me feel better to go spend time with my friends."

Naruto seemed to be waiting for Gaara to say something, but he remained silent. A breeze blew past making Naruto shiver.

"Alright," the blonde suddenly exclaimed, standing up. "Come on."

"What?" Gaara asked, unable to hide some of the shock from his face as Naruto pulled him up and started to lead him down the side of the building. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to bed," Naruto answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We'll need energy so we can do more sightseeing tomorrow."

Before Gaara could open his mouth to retort how they were most definitely NOT doing anymore sightseeing, Naruto had pulled him through a window and was now leading him down a hallway. "Where is it…" he muttered, looking around. "Ah!" he exclaimed a moment later, and pulled Gaara toward a door.

Gaara recognized where they were immediately: Naruto's room. "What are we doing here?" he asked, pulling away.

"I told you," said Naruto grinning, "We're going to sleep."

"But this is your room."

"I know," Naruto answered, walking over to his bed.

"That's okay?"

"Yeah," Naruto laid down. "You can sleep here," he motioned beside him.

Gaara walked over hesitantly, and slowly slipped beneath the covers. Once again his assumptions were incorrect. He thought under these circumstances it would be awkward and uncomfortable, but really he felt warm and secure laying next to Naruto.

"Now, Gaara," Naruto yawned from beside him. "If you have a nightmare, just wake me and we can talk about it."

"Alright." Gaara whispered, and in time both boys dozed off. However, instinctively, Gaara knew one thing: he wouldn't have to wake Naruto that night.

And he didn't.

-

A/N: Well...whadya think? I really need reviews for this one guys, even if it's just berating me for taking so long to update. Oh, and if SMG's reading this, WHICH HE BETTER BE, please email me sometime okay? I'd really like to talk to you. My email should be visible on my nf profile, and if it's not just ask Zane. Pleeeeeeease?

Oh, and I have a banner for the story, but for some reason this evil thing is not letting me put the link. If you wanna see it just tell me and I'll try to send it to you!


End file.
